Hey guys. Can someone please tell me if there's a video out there that shows rolling stock of the 1950s. I have a number of train videos from that era but they only show the locomotives and very little else. I own quite a few transitional period cars that are dated for the late 40s through the late 50s but it would be nice to see the actual cars of the era... Thanks in advance.
Hi,
Are you looking for DVDs to purchase or videos as in YouTube?
Many of the popular DVD producers have samples on YouTube as well.
Sad truth is, once the engine passes, the editor makes his cut...
I have many of the Emery Goulash Green Frog videos and they are pretty good at showing a lot of freight action. His are mostly centered around the Detroit area but a few others they have cover other railroads and areas.
Good Luck, Ed
gmpullman Hi, Are you looking for DVDs to purchase or videos as in YouTube? Many of the popular DVD producers have samples on YouTube as well. Sad truth is, once the engine passes, the editor makes his cut... I have many of the Emery Goulash Green Frog videos and they are pretty good at showing a lot of freight action. His are mostly centered around the Detroit area but a few others they have cover other railroads and areas. Good Luck, Ed
Is there a reason you want a video to use to study freight cars? Why not still photos? I enjoy visiting the Flickr site of the John Barriger Library where you can find thousands of photos, particularly in the American Car & Foundry collection.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/barrigerlibrary/albums/72157649155982802
Here's a few samples:
ACF Lot 3178 1 by John W. Barriger III National Railroad Library, on Flickr
ACF CNJ001 by John W. Barriger III National Railroad Library, on Flickr
4368004 by John W. Barriger III National Railroad Library, on Flickr
Trouble is, there's really no easy way to search but you can easily download high resoultion files to reference later. There are a bunch of other Flickr contributors that have some great collections of transition era photos, too.
Here's one such photographer, Chuck Zieler, I follow, I searched his collection for "freight car"
https://www.flickr.com/search/?user_id=131317884%40N08&view_all=1&text=freight
Another site is Shorpy where you can sort through tons of photos and if you start at the Jack Delano Railroad photo collection you'll find some gems there.
http://www.shorpy.com/jack-delano-photos
Are there particular cars you're looking for? It's kind of tough to narrow down a photo if you just search "freight car" (I get 1.9 million photos on Flickr alone!)
Hope that helps, Ed
gmpullman Is there a reason you want a video to use to study freight cars? Why not still photos? I enjoy visiting the Flickr site of the John Barriger Library where you can find thousands of photos, particularly in the American Car & Foundry collection. https://www.flickr.com/photos/barrigerlibrary/albums/72157649155982802 Here's a few samples: ACF Lot 3178 1 by John W. Barriger III National Railroad Library, on Flickr 9426001 by John W. Barriger III National Railroad Library, on Flickr 4368004 by John W. Barriger III National Railroad Library, on Flickr Trouble is, there's really no easy way to search but you can easily download high resoultion files to reference later. There are a bunch of other Flickr contributors that have some great collections of transition era photos, too. Another site is Shorpy where you can sort through tons of photos and if you start at the Jack Delano Railroad photo collection you'll find some gems there. http://www.shorpy.com/jack-delano-photos Are there particular cars you're looking for? It's kind of tough to narrow down a photo if you just search "freight car" (I get 1.9 million photos on Flickr alone!) Hope that helps, Ed
9426001 by John W. Barriger III National Railroad Library, on Flickr
A big problem with "videos" from the late '40's to the late '50's is the picture quality. It's usually done with 16mm film, at best. And then there's the transfer quality to video. Or lack thereof.
Here's a pretty neat safety film by the Great Northern about 1947. Compare the picture quality to the better still photos that are available. It's a world of difference:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqpayZ2JqlU
There ARE things you can learn, though. Some about freight cars, some about other railroading details of the era.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll go back to watching Great Northern trains.
Ed
Well, that was fun. If you watch it, you'll see TRUSS RODS. And ANDREWS TRUCKS. And ARCH BAR TRUCKS. And lotsa neat stuff. Including some model railroading at the end.
7j43k And ANDREWS TRUCKS. And ARCH BAR TRUCKS. And lotsa neat stuff.
Trucks & more trucks...
8962 001 by John W. Barriger III National Railroad Library, on Flickr
So much to see... Ed
But.
Andrews, arch bar, truss rods.
In 1947.
I suspect the car with the arch bar trucks was in company service. Actually, I'm sure of it. But lots of interesting freight cars. There was a Southern box with unusual Hutchins ends, for example.
With the "video", you can get a sense of a lot of the features of the era. Of 1947.
There are tons of old prototype movies from the 40's and 50's on Youtube. A good channel for a lot of them is Jeff Quitney. Once you watch one or two, the suggested videos that show after one finishes will have more of the same. You can get lost in this for days.
Don;t overlook the railroad safety videos - you get to see lots of period action, and it will help you learn how a real railroad works.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
7j43k...There was a Southern box with unusual Hutchins ends, for example....
The Southern owned almost 15,000 of 'em, Ed...
Like a lot of my rolling stock, the car is based on photos in Ted Culotta's Steam Era Freight Cars Reference Manual, Vol. I. It includes lots of photos and background material on the cars, too.
I have, at last count, a dozen of his books - indispensable if you're interested in steam era freight cars. Here's a LINK to the Speedwitch Media site.
Wayne